Escape
by LikelyLoves
Summary: Marissa Stampler's memories consist of being imprisoned by Hydra and being trained by the man who promised he'd never leave her behind but eventually did. During Team Cap's prison stay, Wanda notices something, or rather someone, that scares her. After Steve and Bucky break her and the others out, she relays her observations to them, and Bucky realizes he left someone behind.
1. Paradise

"Hey, Stampler, I know you're awake in there." The masked guard impatiently strikes his baton against the glass wall of the cage which is holding one of their most dangerous prisoners.

"I wasn't trying to sleep. I was simply trying to spend some quality time with the voices. And how many times have I told you my name is not Stampler, it's Rissy?"

The guard rolls his eyes and pushes a button that opens the holding cell 'Rissy' lays in.

"Time for lunch. Come on, you know the drill."

The guard holds out the electric shock muzzle that Marissa lovingly calls, "Shocky."

Marissa Stampler rolls out of her cot, wincing as she catches her burned cheek on the starchy cotton sheets. Sheets that are still stained in blood and other fluids that have drained from her face earlier times Shocky fulfilled its purpose.

The guard notices her brief expression of pain and feels no remorse.

"You know, if you would just behave, we wouldn't be forced to hurt you and burn your ugly mug even more than it already is." He steps back a couple of steps when Marissa stands off of her cot and makes for the door.

"Ugly mug? Didn't anyone ever tell you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" Marissa steps out of her cage, ignoring her reflection, choosing not to take a gander at the burns and scars that paint mouth and cheeks. The guard straps the portable cage on her scarred cheeks, after she pushes her brown hair behind her ears. The leather straps creak as the guard adjusts them on the back of her head, none too gently.

Once the guard finishes, Marissa leans forward, into the guard's face.

"And besides, I love Shocky, makes me feel all warm and tingly inside." She lets out a shudder, just thinking of the electricity pumping through her veins.

Marissa and the guard engage in a stare down, her with a maniacal smile on her face, not hindered at all by the muzzle. Him, eyes squinting and hand reaching for the remote control on his belt, in warning.

At last second, his thumb pushes down on the button, triggering a wave of electric shock onto Marissa's cheeks, opening up week old wounds as well as worsening the ones she received the night before. Her mind is completely a blank for ten seconds, not being able to form a single thought over the electric shock frying her brain.

Her head shakes, she feels herself begin to stumble and reaches out an arm to steady herself against the glass behind her. Marissa's whole body is now on fire, her black jumpsuit uncomfortably rubs against her arms as she adjusts herself. There's spit dribbling out of her mouth, among other things, her chest is heaving, and her green eyes are threatening to explode.

The guard only smirks, "I'm glad you like it. I hope you don't mind that we upped the voltage overnight. Wouldn't want you getting too comfortable. Now come on, you're already ten minutes late for lunch. We'll have to cut it short so you make it to your appointment at the lab on time."

Marissa uses her hand to push herself off the glass. Her once spiking energy, now drained by the electric shock. She tries to pick up her feet but they only scuff the floor as they drag her after the guard. After she starts walking again, two more guards flank behind her, holding their powered rifles across their bodies, ready to put her down at any moment.

Marissa chuckles at the display, "There was a time when I required more than three guards. This is just pathetic. And a clear underestimation of my abilities." She scoffs, they have no idea what she's capable of. The low clicking of the rifles the guards are carrying behind her reminds her of a time when she wasn't so...Rissy.

 _A big man stands behind her, carrying what looked like a gun of some sort that makes a clicking noise whenever it moves around. However, Marissa is more concerned with the man beside her, who has a hand on her shoulder that is meant to be friendly, but feels nothing of the sort._

 _She ducks her head down, her eyes nervously flit over every detail of the place she's been taken to. Marissa knows her body is shaking, some of it from the fact that whoever these people are, they took her while she was only dressed in her pajamas. Her shirt used to be grey. Now, at least a quarter of it is stained with blood. Her mother's blood._

 _She screamed when the men barged into her house, shooting her mom and dad as soon as they saw them. Marissa thought they were going to hurt her too as she cowered against her mother's still body, hugging her close, and ultimately staining her once grey shirt, blood red._

 _Unfortunately for Marissa, they only took her by the arm and said, "She'll do perfectly."_

 _The man's hand on her shoulder tightens it's grip, "It's okay sweetheart, no need to be afraid. We're going to help you."_

 _Marissa slowly looks up at the man guiding her, something that couldn't possibly be called a smile stretches over his face. She has seen a lot of people smile in her sixteen years. This was not a smile. This was the sneer of a wolf._

 _They seem to arrive at their destination: a door with a large sliding deadbolt across the front. Two more guards stand at the sides of it, also with some sort of gun across their chest. They both nod to the man with the grip on Marissa, allowing him to reach forward with his unoccupied hand and slide the lock out of the way. The lock screeches along the metal of the door, an ominous sound, foreboding of the rough future ahead._

 _Inside, there are even more guards, but this time, their guns are not for her, they're pointed towards a man sitting on a bench against the wall. His head is down, similar to Marissa's first was. His brown hair hangs over his face, not allowing Marissa to see any part of it. Without him even having to stand up, Marissa can tell this is a very big man._

 _When something seems to glint off of his left arm, Marissa takes a quick peek. She's in awe of the man before her, he has a metal arm! She's never seen that before._

 _"Soldier. This is your next mission. I know you have trained many others before and I'm hoping you can do it again."_

 _There's a man off to the side, but obviously not a guard, someone in charge, maybe? He wears a tailored suit and has red hair. A dignified air penetrates the dank room. He seems to be in charge as he's the only one speaking._

 _"Hello, I don't think we've been allowed the chance to meet. Alexander Pierce." He holds out one of his hands for presumably a handshake. Marissa cowers at the action, but only stands in place, realizing she has nowhere to hide._

 _"This is your new student soldier, I suggest you get training before she gives herself a heart attack." Alexander Pierce, redacts his hand, turns around, and makes his way out of the room with no more instructions to give._

 _"She's all yours," the guard behind her says, and shoves her down in front of the big man with the metal arm who has yet to stand up._

 _The guards make their way out of the room and slide the lock closed behind them. The cold metal of the floor seeps through her pajama shorts icing her skin. The man with the metal arm, stands out of his seat._

 _"Stand up."_

 _He has a gruff voice. Deeper than any she's heard before, besides that man on the television who seems like he narrates the trailer for every action movie ever._

 _She looks up at him and sees him towering a foot above her._

 _"I said, stand up." When she still doesn't follow his orders, he grabs her by the shoulder, just like the guard did, and pulls her to her feet._

 _"Do what I ask of you and this can be easier on both of us."_

 _He notices her limbs shaking from fright, "What do they call you?" He asks._

 _Marissa pauses for a beat before she answers. When she was younger her mom and dad always told her to not give her name to strangers because they could take her away from home and Marissa wouldn't like that at all. But what's the point of hiding her name if the strangers already took her away?_

 _"Marissa," she quietly answers him. Her voice squeaks as she says it._

 _"How old are you, Marissa?" The big man feels friendly to her, Marissa doesn't understand why._

 _"Sixteen." Marissa gives him more information than he asks for, but he doesn't look like he minds._

 _"Well, you won't be going back to school. I'm going to train you."_

 _"For what?"_

 _"For the rest of your life."_

The whirring of a locking mechanism brings Marissa out of her first memory of the man who promised her he wouldn't leave her behind, but ultimately did.

Marissa looks around, seeing they have arrived at the cafeteria.

"You only have ten minutes to eat. Be quick about it. If you're not on time, zap zap."

The guard who holds the remote control pushes her into the lunch room.

Marissa looks around the pristine cafeteria tables and over to the not so pristine cafeteria food, then says to herself, "Just another day in paradise."


	2. Remembering

**A/N: I'm still trying to get the hang of publishing on this website but I hope I'll learn soon, fingers crossed! The point of the previous sentence being that I forgot to mention something before chapter one. I have this information also posted on my profile page but not everyone checks that so I figured I should put it out there on chapter 2, better late than never, right?**

 **So, this story takes place after the events of Civil War, but I've changed something. That something being Bucky doesn't choose to go back into cryo and T'Challa gets him a new metal arm, which I'm planning on adressing at some point in the story whether it be in a flashback or just through dialogue. I'm personally leaning towards just putting it through dialogue because I've already written one flashback in this story and I'm already tired of them. One of my rules of writing: use flashbacks sparingly. I digress.**

 **In this chapter we see what Team Cap is up to, recently liberated from the underwater prison, I hope you enjoy!**

Bucky paces the length of the wall in the abandoned Hydra safehouse him and the rest of the Team Cap fugitives are staying in. He stops in front of the window, pulling back the navy blue curtain to peer out into the storm.

No change, just like the last time he checked. Bucky was the one who suggested the safehouse, knowing it would be under the radar, and would hopefully ease Steve's worries of getting caught not too long after the great escape.

It's a small house, the outside is covered in dead, moldy shrubbery. The roof is barely holding up, the rain soaked tiles are caving in, threatening to drop themselves into the attic. The storm they encountered getting away from the prison was hard to get through, but a good help in losing the government search teams on the ocean.

Steve, Sam, and Clint are all huddled around the poor excuse for a kitchen table, discussing the plan of action, while Scott and Wanda are sitting on a sheet covered couch, processing their freedom.

"Well, we could always head out of the country. Back to Wakanda or maybe Bucharest, that's where you were before, right, Barnes?" Clint shouts from the kitchen.

"Yeah, until I was framed for blowing up the U.N." Bucky takes a break from pacing and steps towards the group.

"Leaving the country is a long term solution. We need a day by day solution. The government is probably combing all outgoing transportation. Leaving the country right now is out of the question," Bucky adds on.

Wanda and Scott stand up from the couch, following Bucky.

"Especially with Clint and Scott, you guys got kids, families, here. You'd be able to just skip out of the country without wanting to come back?" Sam asks.

Clint rubs a hand across his face, knowing he wouldn't be able to stay away from his family for too long. Scott only stares at the wall, nothing witty coming to mind for once.

Wanda is the one who speaks up first, "Maybe we go back to the prison."

"Back? Why go back? We just got out!" Sam exclaims.

Wanda takes a deep breath, "I saw something, as they were taking me to my cell. I saw a woman. She was hurting. Some kind of electric shock muzzle was on her face, burning her skin. She was screaming at them and they just kept electrocuting her and telling her she needed to learn some manners."

She drops her head to look at the ground, the reminiscent smell of burning flesh invades her nostrils. A tear falls down her cheek at the thought of another person suffering at the government's hands.

"Wanda, kid, most people are in there because they actually did bad things. Most of them need to be in there." Clint reaches a hand over to rest on Wanda's arm.

"No, you don't understand. She's mentally unstable, she shouldn't be there. As soon as they stopped shocking her she started laughing and kept saying, 'my name isn't Stampler, it's Rissy'."

Hearing the name makes Bucky's heart skip a beat, "What did you just say?"

"The woman, her name was Rissy. I suspect it's short for something." Wanda becomes confused, wondering why the woman's name holds any significance.

"You're sure? She said her name was Rissy?" Bucky takes a step in Wanda's direction, demanding confirmation of what he thinks to be true.

Steve stands up from his seat at the table, "What is it, Buck?"

"I knew someone with that name. Marissa Stampler. She was...a student of mine." Bucky says.

Sam smirks, "A student? What'd you teach, Memory Loss 101?" Bucky glares at Sam from the other side of the room.

"No. I trained her to fight like me, to be like another Winter Soldier. When I wasn't on a mission, we spent almost every waking moment together. It was ten years ago when they first brought her to me, she was sixteen. We...she was...," Bucky stares at the ground, searching his memories of Marissa. The Winter Soldier felt so strongly for her, her tiny body making him want to protect her as long as he lived.

"Sixteen? What happened to her parents?" Clint asks.

"Pierce told me they needed to be eliminated. They knew too much about Hydra."

"Did you-?"

Bucky interrupts Steve by saying, "No. It wasn't me. They didn't want her to hold a vendetta against me and she didn't. She trusted me...I trusted her back."

Sam's eyebrows shoot up, "Sounds like more than a student to me."

"After D.C. she must've gotten out of Hydra and been captured somewhere. She hadn't even been on a single mission yet. She was supposed to start after insight succeeded," Bucky continues like he didn't hear Sam, although he did silently agree with him.

Steve sighs and leans against the counter, "But it didn't. Hydra was destroyed."

"You said they were torturing her, keeping her prisoner? Why?" Bucky asks Wanda.

"I don't know." She replies.

Just the idea of Marissa being tortured, makes Bucky's gut churn. The only reason she is in that underwater prison is because he left her behind, unlike what he promised her.

"Barnes, you think we should go back for her?" Clint asks, in his mind, there's no one not worth saving, even if he was just telling Wanda that some criminals need to be in prison for a reason. Plus, it sounds like the woman is important to Bucky.

"We could all get arrested," Bucky answers with regret. He doesn't want to go back to prison, back to captivity. However, he made Marissa a promise, he once told her he would never leave her behind and he broke that promise. She's been suffering for years with no reprieve and he hasn't been there to stop it.

"It comes with the territory. That's why we're asking, Buck, do you want to go after her?" Steve says.

Bucky looks at the eyes of everyone else in the room. Clint doesn't look too thrilled but is clearly open to the idea. Sam is staring at Steve, ready to follow his lead. Scott is studying a mold pattern on the wall. Bucky last looks at Wanda. Her eyes are not desperate, yet still pleading, for him to agree they need to go back for her. Bucky may feel a future alliance with this girl. She's another person who understands the things people like him and Marissa have gone through.

"Marissa doesn't deserve being there." Bucky sighs and leans back against the counter by Steve who clasps a hand on his shoulder.

"Guess that settles it. We're going back," Steve decides.

Various looks are being exchanged throughout the group but Bucky is only focused on one thing. Getting his Rissy back.


	3. Assurance

**Disclaimer: I do not own, claim, or make a profit off of the characters or storylines belonging to the MCU that are incorporated into this story. I only own my OC, Marissa.**

 **A/N: Wow, people started following the story only after 2 chapters. I'm honored to have you. Welcome! Some of this chapter is a flashback (more information on that at the end of the chapter) Also, we don't see present Marissa in this chapter but we do see inside Bucky's head!**

 **Just an fyi: This flashback in this chapter takes place a couple months after Marissa being kidnapped.**

 _"Again."_

 _The Winter Soldier's voice rumbles above Marissa, who is lying on the ground, flat on her back. The soldier is currently attempting to show her basic hand to hand combat. Marissa thinks the only thing being accomplished is him kicking her ass._

 _"Ugh," Marissa groans. Her muscles are aching with bruises and overuse, she isn't used to this much physical exertion. It was hard adjusting to the demands of her kidnappers, they won't answer any of her questions, won't let her outside of the cold room they keep her in but expect her to do everything they say. The only time she ever knows what's happening is when she's told what's on the lunch menu for the day._

 _The soldier is standing a few feet away from her, staring at her with icy blue eyes. Once Marissa had gotten up close and personal with him, his eyes were the first thing she noticed. She had never seen that color of blue or the haunted look inside them. She doesn't know what his deal is, why he has the metal arm, but she wouldn't dare ask. Marissa doesn't have to experience it first person to know what it might be like if she made the big dude with the big metal arm angry._

 _Marissa puts her fists up in a defensive position, pretending she's prepared for what the soldier is going to throw at her._

 _He leaves his arms down and begins to slowly walk around her, she turns to follow him and hopefully anticipate his first move. It feels like the soldier is simultaneously staring straight into her soul and not really seeing her at all. Sometimes Marissa feels bad for him. She doesn't understand why, he obviously belongs to the group of people who killed her parents and took her afterwards. Then she remembers the first time they met. A couple weeks after the initial kidnapping, she realized that there was no way all the guards that were waiting in the room with the soldier were all for her. Which meant, the soldier had to be kept in line for some reason. She still didn't understand what for, if he was part of their organization wouldn't he be cooperative?_

 _Marissa is too distracted looking at the soldier's face so she doesn't see his leg kick out, sweeping behind both her legs, before it's too late._

 _She's flat on the ground again, arms spread out wide. Her head cracks painfully against the ground so she reaches a hand back to massage the lump forming._

 _"I've told you already. Don't let waiting for the other person to make the first move distract you." He stares down at her, wondering if she's going to get up._

 _"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Marissa still does not stand up. The soldier walks to where he started and gets a stern look on his face._

 _"No. Not 'whatever'. You need to know how to fight someone. This is child's play and you haven't learned anything yet," he says with a firm voice._

 _Marissa lets out a deep sigh and pushes up so she's still on the ground but leaning on her palms. "What's so important about knowing how to fight anyways? Couldn't I just use that against you and escape?" She asks._

 _"Hand to hand combat is essential for when you'll be going out in the field."_

 _Marissa's eyes widen, and she feels her heart beat faster in confusion, "What do you mean, 'when you'll be going out in the field'?"_

 _The soldier asnwers right away, either not picking up on her frightened tone or not caring, "When your training with me is complete, you'll be going out in the field to complete missions."_

 _A future she didn't ask for starts to form right before Marissa's eyes, "Missions? What missions? Who are you people?"_

 _"Hydra."_

 _Everything becomes unbelievably clear for Marissa. She had heard of Hydra from her parents who worked in the lower ranks of SHIELD, neither of them able to keep their mouths zipped shut from their curious daughter's questions. The ancient Nazi organization murdered her parents and has taken her hostage for God only knows what! Marissa knew of the different things they've done, some of the crimes they committed. Now they were training her to be their lackey._

 _Marissa is too busy seeing her dreams of ever getting away fall to pieces to regulate her breathing. Her chest grows tight, she's hyperventilating and can't get enough air into her lungs. Marissa's green eyes start to go blurry from lack of air and looking around the room too quickly. The only thing she feels is fear._

 _The soldier notes the beginnings of panic in his trainee's eyes, but does not move to help her until her eyes start to close._

 _He crouches in front of her, putting himself in her line of vision. The soldier vaguely feels like he has helped someone who was having trouble breathing, however, he doesn't exactly retain how he helped that person, so he gives the best he has, "Breathe."_

 _His voice comes out stern and almost more of a growl than anything and doesn't help the situation at hand in the slightest. He doesn't know how to help her and it's upsetting him. He doesn't understand why this upsets him so he pushes it aside because now is not the time to be exploring feelings he doesn't remember feeling before._

 _The soldier gets an idea that he doesn't like. He resists it, knowing it's not his place to offer her comfort when he doesn't even know the meaning of the word. When Marissa's eyes start to close again, ready to roll into the back of her head, he says to hell with it._

 _Marissa feels a warm hand somewhat awkwardly pull hers out from behind her and place it on a warm chest. "In. Out." The soldier narrates his breathing patterns allowing her to match up to him. Marissa feels calm slowly seep into her body, beginning in her shaking hands, especially the one resting on the soldier's chest._

 _Once she completely settles, she gives him a shaky, small upturn of her lips, although still feeling out of sorts from the new information she was given._

 _"Thanks, for...that." It's like Marissa says magic words that make the soldier drop her hand like it was on fire. The soldier stands back up and jerkily nods, deciding to face the wall, instead of the girl._

 _She barely hears him when he speaks, "I know what it's like to not be able to make your own choices."_

 _Marissa is stunned at the confession. That was the most personal thing he's ever said to her. The only time she's been given any personal information about the soldier was when she was told what he was called and that wasn't even given to her from him._

 _Before she can ask what he means, he turns around and walks over to the door, only turning his head to say, "We're done for the day." Then he knocks his metal fist against the door and when it slides open, he leaves._

 _Marissa contemplates his words for hours later before she comes to the conclusion that maybe being a part of Hydra wasn't really much of his choice after all._

Bucky is stashing knives in easy to reach places all over his person while trying not to think too much about Marissa. He scoffs at himself, who is he kidding? Soon enough he'll be seeing her emerald eyes again, that's all he's able to think about.

"Take me through this again. We take the jet through the storm, hoping we don't crash and drown in the ocean, break back into the underwater prison where we just escaped, take out all the guards, find Barnes' girlfriend who we don't know where to find, and somehow get back out?" Scott asks.

Bucky is, surprise surprise, once again off by himself prepping for the mission. It would take a completely oblivious person not to notice Scott's hesitancy, which is why Bucky thinks Steve reassures him so quickly and easily, "Bucky and I got in and took out all of the guards by ourselves and broke out four people while not getting caught. Having more people this time will compensate for not knowing where Marissa is."

Sam joins the conversation, "Besides. If things go south, you've got your suit. You can just turn yourself into a gnat and those guards would be none the wiser."

Everyone chuckles at this, Bucky only checks and rechecks his pistols. While he's focused on counting the bullets he's carrying, Steve puts his hand on Bucky's right shoulder. Bucky notes that Steve seems to be doing that a lot lately but not finding himself to be bothered by it, comforted by his best friend's show of support.

"You good, Buck?" He asks.

Bucky wants to say no, he's not good. He was trained to be an assassin with a metal arm then he trained a teenager to be an assassin who eventually grew to be the woman he loves, then broke a promise to her because he had deemed finding himself somehow more important than her when he finally escaped Hydra. Marissa must hate him for abandoning her. How's she going to react when she sees him? Still, he nods at Steve.

He can tell Steve knows he's lying in the way Steve sighs and says his next words, "We're going to get her back for you Buck. And if we don't tonight then we'll find another way tomorrow. We won't leave her behind."

The storm outside still rages on, akin to the whirling emotions inside of Bucky. "It's not that. I know we'll find her. I just don't know how she's going to feel about me. I left her in the hands of Hydra. She must hate me," he explains and stares straight forward at the wall, used to the feeling of shame.

"I'm sure she understands. If she doesn't understand, she will. If you're that important to each other then she'll understand," Steve advises. Bucky nods, still not absolutely sure on the topic but feeling a little better.

Bucky then realizes something and laughs, looking at Steve. "Since when did you start giving me advice about women?"

Steve laughs along with him, shaking his head, "Your guess is as good as mine, Buck."

"I think that blonde is getting to your head," Bucky jokes. The mention of Sharon makes Steve blush and look down at his boots, still not used to being the guy a lady wants.

Clint interrupts the moment, "Hey Cap, Barnes, we're ready to head out whenever you are."

Steve and Bucky turn around and see everyone in uniform, ready for their impromptu mission. Being one step closer to seeing Marissa again has Bucky's heart speeding up.

Captain America, always the leader of the group, "Then let's get a move on before this storm lets up."

 **A/N: When the Winter Soldier tells Marissa that he knows what it's like to not be able to make your own choices, he doesn't remember being captured by Hydra or any of his past life as Bucky Barnes. He does remember some years of being in Hydra. I'm sure there was some point in Hydra where he knew he was trained for them but because of all the guns pointed at him when he was unstable, he knew he didn't have free will.**

 **I hope you liked the chapter! I've made the decision to continue with flashbacks because of where the storyline starts, I need them so you guys understand why they feel for each other the way they do. If you aren't the biggest fan of flashbacks, I assure you I don't currently plan on making chapters completely out of a flashback.**

 **Sorry for the long notes, I'm a rambler.**


	4. Reunited (and it kinda hurts)

"The doctor will be coming by shortly to ask you some questions before your procedure. Be prepared to answer them," the guard tells Marissa.

Marissa sits cross legged on the cot in her cell and rolls her eyes. They put her through countless 'procedures'. When she was found at a Hydra base the government raided, they immediately put her in prison assuming that she was a Hydra thug just like the rest they found. They also thought that because Hydra bothered to keep her around, there was something special or enhanced about her just like the Winter Soldier.

They were wrong and Marissa tells them as such as often as possible but they don't care. They never do. The first time they opened her up and found nothing the doctor was still convinced there had to be something inside of her, so they never stopped looking. They still haven't stopped.

"You know, there's nothing inside me. Just Rissy," Marissa says as well as she can with the muzzle keeping her jaw closed.

The guard scoffs, "Yeah, because Hydra kept you around just for fun. It's been two years, Stampler. Give up this whole 'I'm innocent' crap."

Marissa scrunches her face in confusion.

"I never said anything about being innocent, I was merely stating-"

"Good afternoon, Miss Stampler, how are you feeling today?" The doctor arrives, a gray haired man in a lab coat, holding a clipboard and pen.

"I'm feeling like I want to gouge your eyes out with that pen but we can't always get what we want." Marissa tilts her head and narrows her eyes at the doctor who takes her comment in stride.

"Okay, what have you had to eat?" He continues, putting his pen down on the clipboard, ready to write.

"The driest chicken breast I've ever ate. Hardly the five star meal I signed up for when I booked my room here," Marissa retorts.

The doctor marks some things on his clipboard then asks if she's been sleeping alright.

Marissa crosses her arms over her chest, "If I say no will I get a better mattress?" She asks.

The doctor chuckles at her and smiles like he's having a normal conversation with a friend and not his test subject. He continues to write things on his clipboard, Marissa wonders what he could possibly be writing. Finally, he tucks his pen in his pocket and lets the arm holding the clipboard drop to his side.

"Okay, I have everything I need, we can take her back now." The doctor is no longer smiling like before. He's still smiling but not with laughter like before.

The guard reaches over to press the button that opens her cell then hesitates. He tilts his head like he's listening to someone talk and then he turns away, saying a few quiet words of his own.

'Probably scheduling the weekly circle jerk with the rest of his goons,' Marissa thinks to herself.

"I'll be right back doctor. Use this if she gets out of line," the guard says then tosses the remote control to her muzzle to the doctor.

"How one 'gets out of line' when being kept in a cell of bulletproof glass and steel bars is beyond me," Marissa mumbles to herself.

The doctor has been staring at her for quite some time. A normal person might find it unnerving, however, Marissa is quite used to the staring...and the poking...and the prodding. Marissa hates the doctor and the silence he brought with him. So she fills the pause in conversation in the best way she knows how.

"I have a question." She stands up from her cot and walks so she can stand in front of the glass.

The doctor looks at her and raises his eyebrows as if to say 'go ahead'.

Marissa crosses her arms, "I was just wonderin' if you could fix my face up while I'm under. I mean, since you're looking for something that's not there I thought that one of us might as well benefit from this."

"We've had this conversation already, Miss Stampler. Quite frankly, I'm tired of having it." The doctor mimicks her pose, crossing his own arms and clipboard across his chest.

They engage in another staredown until sounds of gunshot and fighting come from down the hall. Marissa presses herself against the glass, trying to see what's going on.

The doctor's head turns to the right and moves from side to side, also trying to see what's causing all the ruckus. When the commotion doesn't let up, the doctor pulls out a gun from behind his back and points it in front of him.

"Woah! I didn't know you get to carry one of those! Must make you feel pretty powerful, huh?" Marissa mocks.

"Be quiet." The doctor slowly starts to step forward, keeping a lookout for any threats. Marissa presses even closer to the glass, once again attempting to see through the bars and down the hallway.

Marissa continues to talk, despite the order from the doctor, "My money's on prisoner gone rogue. Which is just great for the rest of us because when they escape that makes the guards trigger happy due to their bruised ego. Well, more trigger happy than normal."

He actually turns back this time, gun still pointed forward, "I said shut up."

Being the smart ass she is, Marissa can't give up this opportunity, "Actually you said be quiet but-"

Her words are cut off by the electricity harshly pushing itself through her body. She hears herself let out a loud scream of pain and feels the cold glass of the cell on her skin as she slides down to the floor.

There was a time when she thought she would eventually become used to the electric shock. She's still waiting for that time to come. Although, she is used to the smell of blood and burning flesh. Marissa's lungs are trying to take in as much air as possible, making her pant behind the muzzle. Her brain is having a hard time coming up with thoughts other than pain and misery.

Her whole body is aching from the shock, her limbs are taking turns twitching every couple seconds.

The gunshots are starting to sound a lot closer than before. Marissa thinks it may just be her brain pounding but then the doctor stumbles backwards, two patches of red evident on his white lab coat.

Her eyes follow his body to the ground, watching him for any sign of life, when she finds none, she can't help but feel indifferent towards the man's death. She doesn't know why she feels this way, she of all people should think that he deserved to die. Maybe Shocky was making her go soft.

Suddenly, a new body enters her vision, crouching in front of where she sits behind the glass. Marissa looks up to his face, she doesn't recognize him. His blue eyes, she notices, are filled with concern and anger while they look over her mangled face.

One word comes out of his mouth, "Rissy?"

Marissa's eyes widen in surprise, she hasn't heard anyone actually call her that in years. The only people who have ever called her Rissy were her parents and, "Soldat."

 _The pistol is heavy in her petite hands and almost slips out of them every time she pulls the trigger. It's still too early for the concept of aiming to be cemented in her mind so she just concentrates on emptying the bullets on the target in front of her._

 _The soldier is standing to the side and slightly behind her, observing her shooting technique with displeasure. When Marissa places the gun on the counter in front of her, she shrugs her shoulders, "Not too shabby in my opinion."_

 _"In my opinion, that kind of shooting is the kind that gets you killed," the soldier firmly informs her._

 _"Hey! For my third time shooting, I think I did pretty well. That last one was almost near the bullseye. Do you think-"_

 _"Marissa!" The winter soldier ends her rambling by shouting her name. She looks back at him and sees his face more agitated than usual. "When you're firing at someone, they are not going to wait for you to 'almost get near' shooting them. They will kill you immediately."_

 _Now knowing the soldier for a couple months, Marissa knows that his words aren't out of concern for her life, they're of the cold, hard truth. She also knows that this is the first time he's ever said her name. Hearing someone besides herself say her name for the first time since she arrived sends her into a fit of nostalgia._

 _"My parents actually used to call me Rissy." She also realizes that he's never told her his name. "What about you? Any special nicknames from your mom and dad?"_

 _The soldier's face blanks immediately. "I have no name."_

 _'What?' Marissa asks herself, then says aloud,_

 _"What do you mean you don't have a name? Everyone has a name," she vehemently insists. Marissa is now turned towards him with her arms crossed over her chest._

 _"Not everyone."_

 _Hearing the soldier's hollow words bring a wave of sympathy crashing through Marissa's heart. "Why don't you have a name?" She asks._

 _The soldier mimicks her gesture from earlier and raises one of his shoulders in a shrug, "I don't have anything. I don't remember...anything."_

 _Sadness tugs Marissa's lips down in a frown. She wants to ask questions like, 'When did you lose your memory?' or 'What caused you to lose your memory?', but she knows there is a good chance he doesn't know the answers._

 _The soldier notices her apparent sadness at his amnesia and for some reason wants to rectify it. So he blurts out, "They call me Soldat." When Marissa's eyes widen, his speech slows down as he tries to reign in his eagerness to change her mood, "It's Russian for soldier."_

 _She chuckles and shakes her head in disbelief, "I guess that's better than nothing but one day you're going to need a real name."_

 _The soldier nods, not in agreement but in recognition of her statement. "Maybe I'll find it one day."_

"Bucky! Over here!" the stranger shouts down the hall. Marissa doesn't recognize the name, just like she doesn't recognize the stranger. So it's totally unexpected when she sees her Soldat come into view, pushing the stranger to the side.

"My soldat," she quietly says. She drags her hand up to try to touch his face but her hand only meets glass. His flesh hand reaches up to match hers, wishing he could just reach through the glass and pull her through.

"Yeah it's me. We're gonna get you out of there, Rissy. It's gonna be okay," he then turns to the stranger, "There's gotta be a button or lever or something to open the cell."

The stranger stands up and begins to do as he was told. Meanwhile, Marissa is still focused on her Soldat.

"You know my name," she croaks.

Her Soldat furrows his brow, "Of course I know your name."

"Nobody else knows my name." She thinks of the countless times she told the guards and the doctors to call her Rissy instead of Stampler, but never hearing them do so.

"Well, I know your name," Soldat reassures her. He's not completely focused on her, looking towards the stranger to check on his progress in finding a button. He looks back toward Marissa when she speaks again,

"I missed you Soldat." A tear falls down her cheek and is evaporated by the heat still coming off of the metal bars covering her mouth.

"I missed you too, Rissy. I missed you too." Soldat looks over her face in concern. She looks different than he last saw her. She's covered in old silvery scars and new bleeding wounds. His eyes start to fill with tears, knowing he wasn't there to protect her, to stop this endless torture.

"How ya doin' in there?" He asks, trying to mask his anguish.

Marissa tells him, "Everything hurts." And it's the truth. Her whole body is in pain, her muscles feel like they've been stretched to the limit and her blood feels like it's boiling beneath her skin.

Soldat lets out a deep sigh, attempting to calm himself, "I know moy svet, I know," he looks in the direction of the stranger again, "Steve! Any time now!" The stranger's name is Steve, Marissa learns.

"I'm workin' on it Buck!" Steve shouts back. Marissa's head tilts, as much as it can in her state. Steve called Soldat Buck, who's Buck? So she asks him.

"Buck?"

Soldat lets out a chuckle and gives a reminiscent smile, he seems to be doing that a lot lately, but he doesn't mind, "Yeah, I found my name, Rissy."

Marissa smiles and can't help but be a bit sassy with him, "Buck? Like a one dollar bill?"

Soldat, or rather Buck, laughs at Marissa, "No, Buck as in Bucky."

"'Bucky'?"

"I'll explain later. Just hang in there, okay?" Bucky says.

Marissa sluggishly nods her head, the electric shock taking its toll on her again. Steve apparently found the button because the bars and the glass slid away, making Marissa fall straight into Bucky's arms. Marissa missed being with him, he always makes her feel protected. When his flesh hand goes to stroke the back of her head, his fingers meet the strap of the muzzle instead of her hair.

"Let's get this off of you," Bucky says and removes the muzzle, throwing it to the side. Marissa instantly feels relief, the hot metal removed from her already burning skin.

Bucky lifts his metal hand and puts it to her cheek. Marissa presses her face closer to the appendage, seeking affection and relief from the cold metal. She feels him use the hand on her face to turn it back and forth, checking the full extent of her injuries. Marissa's ears register something akin to a growl emmitting from Bucky's throat.

Steve interrupts the moment by saying, "Bucky, everyone else is meeting us on the quinjet. We need to leave."

Bucky nods, agreeing, and rubs Marissa's shoulders gently.

"Okay, we gotta go," he says.

"Where we goin'?" Marissa asks. For the past ten years, she's been stuck in some sort of prison, the concept of finally being able to leave is foreign to her.

"Away from here. Can you stand?"

Marissa nods so Bucky puts his arms unders hers, hugging her to him, and lifts her up. Once they start walking, he walks right beside her. His metal arm wraps around her waist and his flesh hand holds her right hand in his.

Ten minutes of passing by unconscious or dead guards, Marissa stumbling and Bucky picking her back up go by until they reach the quinjet. The hatch is open and waiting for them to board. Steve jogs ahead of Marissa and Bucky and into the quinjet.

"Wow," Marissa says, taking in the large aircraft, her feet still tripping her up a little on the incline.

"Yeah, I know. There's going to be a few other people on board, okay? But they're friends. They're not going to hurt you." Bucky didn't know how she might react to strangers even though she seemed to react to Steve just fine.

"Okay."

Once on the quinjet, Bucky finds her a seat against the side wall of the jet and straps her in. Steve walks over and hands Bucky a wool blanket, who then wraps it around Marissa's shoulders.

Bucky sits down next to her and wraps his arm around her shoulders as the jet takes off, clutching her as close as possible, hoping to never let her go again.

 **A/N: Yay! They're finally reunited! Also, there was some Russian in this chapter that I didn't translate through dialogue:**

 **Moy svet = My light**

 **Next chapter, Team Cap is going to be seeing another friendly face! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Also, thank you to RebornRose1992 for the words of encouragement, I do plan to "keep going" :)**


	5. Changes

**A/N: I know it's been a long time. As it turns out, being a full time student with a part time job doesn't leave you with a lot of writing time. Not much happens in this chapter, due to me not really knowing where exactly I'd like to take this story. I would eventually love to get into Infinity War. I've seen it twice in the span of one week and I really want to see it again. Plus, I've even got an idea in mind for a Spiderman x OC story that picks up where Infinity War left off. Maybe I'll try to start on that and hopefully still continue with this now that I have more time on my hands. Well, without further rambling, here we go!**

"Here we are. The home of Avengers gone rogue," someone says behind Rissy. She thinks it's the arrow guy, she still can't remember his name.

Soldat, or Bucky, as the others call him, is still by her side, helping her walk up to the house.

Rissy looks around, noting that this isn't what she remembered houses to look like. She may have been in captivity for ten years but she knows what a squatter's home looks like.

Still, she steps through the door and finds herself in a moldy living room.

"Hopefully we'll be able to find better living arrangements soon, but this is what we have for now," Steve told Rissy.

She chuckles and looks around, "Despite the mildew, it's still better than a cell."

Soldat squeezes her hand and leads her over to the couch. Once Rissy sits down, Soldat tucks the wool blanket around her shoulders tighter and sits down next to her.

Rissy turns to look at his face and sees a deep furrow across his brow. Oh, how she wishes she could reach a hand out and smooth it away. Before she could, Soldat speaks.

"Do you need anything?" He asks.

Rissy shakes her head no, but then the sudden movement causes her to cough so Soldat stands up to get her some water.

While he's in the kitchen, Rissy takes time to look around the house, the place she'll now be staying in since freed from her own personal hell. Her eyes trail over the peeling wallpaper and the broken furniture, but she specifically stares at the ornate mirror still hanging on the wall. Cracked, but still there.

However, it isn't the intricate design or flaws that catch her eye. It's the face looking back at her inside of it. Ever since being in that prison and receiving electrochock punishment, she has seen her reflection multiple times. But it has never been so clear and not as ugly as it is now.

Rissy has never realized how bad her burns and scars are. She feels them hurt something fierce but she didn't think they were this bad. Her face is still bleeding and where it isn't bleeding you can almost feel the heat burning her face a splotchy red.

She remembers what she did look like, when she first met her Soldat. So young and freshfaced. So beautiful. She's sure she looked better then and she's sure that Soldat thinks that as well even if he wasn't interested in her romantically in the slightest until years later.

Being back here with Soldat only reminds her of how beautiful she used to be and how ugly she is now.

Rissy's thoughts are interrupted as Soldat comes back with a glass of water, but she still doesn't look away from the mirror until he blocks her view.

"Here, drink this."

Rissy grabs the glass with both hands and guzzles the water down. The liquid stings the burns on her upper lip and cheek where some small streams escape her mouth. But she pays no mind to it, needing the water more.

Soldat must notice her wince because he takes the cup from her and turns her chin towards his face, "Let me see."

Still feeling insecure, Rissy jerks her chin away from his hand, wincing a little as the burns scrape against his still gloved hands.

He mistakes her insecurity for worry and rubs her arm in comfort, "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to look at it."

Rissy stubbornly shakes her head 'no' and Bucky starts to feel insecure himself.

'She hates me,' is his first thought but before he could even begin to apologize, Rissy explains herself.

"You shouldn't have to look at me up close. I'm a total ten four."

"Ten four? I don't under-"

"Rating out of ten. My face. Ten far away, four up close...and that's generous for me."

Realizing what she's talking about, her Soldat moves spots, now sitting in front of Rissy on the coffee table.

He ducks his head down to try and meet her eyes, "Are you saying you're ugly?"

Rissy doesn't answer or make any move that indicates an answer. He takes this as a yes.

"Rissy, look at me."

Rissy ducks her head down further, tucking her chin to her chest, hoping that maybe her Soldat will just let it go so they can get back to reuniting. But she knows there's a fat chance of that happening.

She registers him call 'Rissy' a few more times until something finally makes her eyes meet his.

"Marissa, look at me."

Soldat's stern voice, takes her back to the time when she was still just his trainee, she jerks her head up to look at him and could almost cry at the deep affection flooding his blue eyes.

Before he says anything, he takes a moment to look at her. Being conscientious of the open wounds on her face, he takes her hands instead of cupping her cheeks like he used to.

"You are a very beautiful woman. I know you don't think-"

"You hate your scars."

"Not really, you used to tell me all the time that you liked them."

While he is telling the truth, Rissy doesn't understand how this connects back to her.

"So?" She asks.

She feels Soldat's hands squeeze hers and it's almost like they were never apart.

"If you can accept my scars, moy svet, then so can I. And I accept yours. I accept all of you, Marissa."

Rissy gets a shy, half smile on her face and looks up at him through her lashes with what she hopes conveys love.

Feeling the end of the conversation, Bucky squeezes her hands again and reaches forward to wrap the blanket around her again, which fell to her elbows during their conversation.

"Steve said Dr. Banner should be here before morning to look at you."

Having had this argument all the way to the house, Rissy grumbles, "For the last time, I don't need a doctor."

Soldat would normally chide her for her stubborness but Rissy can tell he's too concerned for that now.

He sits back beside her on the couch and stares at her face, "Yes you do. The amount of electricity they were pumping through you is enough to be lethal. I know you don't like doctors, I get it. You know I do. But I'll be here the whole time, okay? I won't let anything happen to you."

Rissy relents and nods at Soldat, agreeing to see this doctor guy. She goes to argue why doctors are God's personal way of punishing her but a yawn escapes her mouth.

Soldat furrows his brow and tells her to get some sleep.

Rissy cooperates again, on one condition, "As long as you stay with me, Soldat."

"Always, Solnecho."

Neither of them wish to stop touching each other for even just a second so Rissy lays her her head in Soldat's lap, whose feet settle on the coffee table. Soldat puts a protecting hand on top of her head and strokes her knotted brown locks. Rissy sighs, finally feeling safe with her Soldat.

 _Rissy is back at the Hydra compound, laying on the cold cement of her cell. She's counting the cracks in the ceiling when all of a sudden people start running past her holding area and shouting for others to get out._

 _To find out what's going on, Rissy stands up and walks up to the bars. She peeks towards the end of the hallway and sees the smoke and flames coming from the labratory._

 _'Oh shit.'_

 _Panic runs through her mind and she shouts at the passersby but none seem to want to let her out._

 _"Help me! I can't get out! Someone let me out of here!"_

 _Her eyes and lungs are burning because of the smoke. The fire is coming closer and closer to her cell, licking at the steel bars._

 _Marissa jerks her hands off of the metal once it starts to heat up from the flames. Tears slide down her cheeks, knowing that no one is going to stop for her. None of these people care about her._

 _She backs up until she hits the wall of her cell and slides down to the ground. Smoke is billowing throughout the entire room, taking the last bouts of oxygen she has in her lungs._

 _The tears continue to fall but this time in a happier sense. She'll finally be reunited with her mom and dad. Dying at eighteen isn't ideal but at least she'll be with them sooner then she thought._

 _'I'm coming mom and dad, I can't wait to see you again.'_

 _But just before she could let her eyes close, the sound of metal being torn makes her eyes shoot open._

 _She looks up and sees Soldat marching towards her with a firece look on his face._

 _"What are you doing here? You need to leave, this place is going to burn down. Just go, get out of here," Marissa coughs up._

 _Soldat picks her up in his arms and runs out of the cell, with no explanation. Before she passed out, Marissa could swear she heard him say, "No, not without you."_

Rissy wakes back up in her Soldat's lap to voices talking. She remembers where she is right away, hearing Soldat's and Steve talking to each other.

"Just let her sleep for another hour, she needs it," that was Soldat.

"We just need to wake her for ten minutes, tops, and then she can go back to sleep. The sooner she's checked out, the better," that was Steve.

"I just want to do a routine check for now, nothing too strenous for her," that was...

Who was that?

The new voice startles her enough for her to open her eyes and alert the others in the room of her consciousness. As she sits up, Soldat looks at her with an apologetic face, "Sorry for waking you up. Dr. Banner's here."

Rissy subconsciously flinches at the presence of a doctor and looks up to see what he looks like, if he has any weapons on him, or if he'll even put her in a shock collar.

She expects to see a tall, intimidating, man, armed with a gun. But she gets a pleasant surprise when in fact, it's a shorter man, with curled hair, and glasses. He looks gentle. Even more gentle than her Soldat, but then again, that's not the word most people would describe Soldat as.

This thought makes Rissy look over to Soldat, who is still looking at her with concern and apology. It's Steve who speaks up and tears her gaze away from Soldat.

"Marissa, this is Dr. Banner. He's here to help."

Dr. Banner half smiles at her and says, "Just call me Bruce. I've been told you were electrocuted multiple times by electric shock muzzle, is that right?"

Rissy nods, not vocally responding. She isn't completely distrustful of Bruce. The first impression she got of him is gentle but wanting to get down to business right away. She likes it. But he's still a doctor.

"I need to take your blood pressure, listen to your heart, lungs, and check for any sort of brain damage. Then I can hopefully give you something ofr your face and ask some more questions. Is that alright with you?" Bruce asks.

It's a lot of information and a lot of things she doesn't want to do but she knows she doesn't have a choice. So she chuckles for the first time since she woke up.

"If I don't are you going to poke me with a cattle prod?"

She's the only one who laughs. Rissy feels Soldat's hand rub and down her back in comfort.

When Bruce finishes listening to her heart and lungs, he moves on to shining a penlight in her eyes. That's when he starts asking her questions.

"How often was the electrocutiong?" He asks.

"It was random. There was no schedule. But it was pretty often."

"Do you know what the voltage was?"

Rissy cackles and rubs a hand on the bottom of her neck, where the scars don't quite reach but still start to tickle her collar bone, "Yes, because I have a subscription to 'how to keep your detainees detained'."

Her voice comes out a little snarkier than she intends and hope she doesn't offend the doctor.

Soldat thankfully steps in for her and casually fills in the blank, "Rissy wasn't trained to be able to observe and quanitfy things like that, like I was."

Rissy notices his trusting behavior towards the doctor and the casual way he talks now. His words used to be choppy and rough with a tint of Russian. Now, he's acting like a regular Joe as if he doesn't have metal for an arm. Or extensive training on how to murder people only using your big toe.

That last one's a lie.

Finally, before she realizes the checkup is over, Dr. Banner is standing up and packing his things.

"Well, Marissa, everything looks normal. Just make sure you're putting some ointment on the burns, don't want it to get infected."

Rissy opens her mouth to snark again but Soldat beats her to it by standing and giving the man...a handshake?

She swears her eyes drop out of her sockets because Soldat is being kind to another human that isn't her. He definitely doesn't have his guard down but he's still willingly touching someone he's never met before. Or at least she's assuming they've never met before.

The rest of the words said are garbled, Rissy feels like she's underwater. This is not the Soldat she remembers leaving her behind.

The soldat who left her behind would never shake another man's hand. At least not without the intention of using it to kill him.

Rissy barely notices the doctor leave as she's too busy looking skeptically at her soldat.

Her soldat turns back to Rissy when he feels her gaze on him.

"Come on, let's get something to eat," He says. Soldat holds out a hand to help her off the couch and to the kitchen where everyone else seems to have moved to.

Rissy, still paranoid about her soldat's change in behavior, she doesn't take his hand right away.

"Rissy, are you okay?"

"You've changed," she practically spits out the words. She doesn't mean to make it sound like a bad thing but it scares her. Maybe he's changed enough to not see the purpose of having her around anymore.

Soldat doesn't even try to deny the fact that he's changed, "Does that bother you?"

And instead of answering the question, Rissy avoids it, "Let's eat."


End file.
